Count It All Joy by Ashea S. Goldson

didn’t recognize the fabric, but it looked very expensive. Her shoes were gold colored also. Probably Steve Madden I guessed since she’d once declared that he was her favorite brand.
    â€œMerry Christmas, darlings,” she said, hugging Joshua and I at once.
    â€œMerry Christmas, Mother Benning,” I said.
    Joshua gave his mother a peck on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, Mother.”
    Then Mother Benning reached down and picked up Lilah. “Come and give your Big Mommy a kiss.”
    I hated when she said that. “Big Mommy” stole all the momminess away, and there was none left for me. I smiled and watched the perfect loving interaction between Lilah and her grandmother, secretly hoping that one day I’d have a part in it.
    Mother Benning smelled of raspberries, and I wondered if she had been baking a raspberry pie. Looking at her glamorous outfit, it didn’t seem likely. She wasn’t the domesticated type. In fact, I was pretty sure that Angelina, the cook, had prepared the entire meal.
    â€œBig Mommy. Big Mommy,” Lilah said.
    â€œHow is my beautiful granddaughter on this Christmas?” Sister Benning hugged Lilah tightly. Then she led us inside to the formal dining room where she had the table set. A swan-shaped crystal vase full of fresh orchids sat in the center of the table. Huge, original African paintings lined the walls, along with various African artifacts gathered from her many mission trips to the continent. Somehow, I had trouble picturing Mother Benning on any mission but her own. One of the paintings captivated me because the eyes of one of the African warriors were so piercing. It was as if he could see me looking at him. The collection was quite impressive.
    Everything else was exquisitely elegant and tasteful; the gold-plated dishes, the selection she played on the grand piano, the vegetable-stuffed honey-roasted turkey, everything except Mother Benning’s attitude, which eventually became funky, of course.
    Mother Benning tilted her head to the side. “Why, Alex, dear, have you done something different with your hair?”
    I immediately felt self-conscious since my hair was only tucked back in a ponytail, and hers hung flawlessly around her shoulders. “No, ma’am, I haven’t really done much with it at all, to tell the truth.”
    â€œOh, I see,” she smirked.
    â€œJoshua, have you given any more thought to taking over Kingdom House and blessing your parents’ hearts?”
    Joshua had a slight smile on his face. “I’d love to bless your heart, Mom, but no, I haven’t changed my mind.”
    â€œWell, I guess you want us both to die then,” she said.
    Joshua clapped his hands and laughed. “Come on, Mother. Please stop with the drama.”
    â€œOh, I’m just getting started,” she smiled.
    Eventually, Bishop Benning came downstairs and joined us at the table. He looked frail, barely spoke, and practically stumbled back to his room as soon as he had finished eating.
    All in all, it wasn’t the worst visit I had with Joshua’s parents. However, it was my first Christmas dinner without my sister, and it really began to affect me. When we were children, Christmas was always big in our house, even when we didn’t have many material things. Mama always made us a big dinner with whatever she had, and it wasn’t always a traditional Christmas dinner either. It didn’t matter to Taylor and me as long as we were all together. Mama usually cranked up the radio really loud as the stations played all the Christmas favorites. If she were in a really good mood she would even play “Silent Night” on her guitar while Taylor and I gathered around to sing. Yes, Mama played the guitar and used to be in a band when she was younger. That explained some of her wild side.
    She was very talented. Sometimes Aunt Dorothy would come over with our cousins Nehemiah and Jeremiah. They